The present invention relates to a sunroof seal having a cross-sectional design to reduce windnoise when the sunroof is in the vented position.
Sunroofs are commonly designed to allow the window to be opened by sliding the window in a lateral direction to expose an opening formed in the roof structure or by tilting the window into a vent position by angling the window in a horizontal direction with the front face of the window as the pivot point. For purposes of this application, the term sunroof is meant to include Moonroofs or other closures that can be moved to a vent position in a vehicle roof.
When the sunroof window is in the vented position, excessive windnoise, including a whistling sound may occur as the car is moving. The air flowing over the vented sunroof causes an increase in windnoise.
Devices to address wind noise have been proposed. In one such device, a cover includes a planar attachment at a rear edge that extends downward when the cover is extended. The planar attachment has several protrusions formed at a free end. A seal or gasket is located at the rear edge of the cover, and the protrusions are molded as a single piece to the gasket. The protusions are intended to address the windnoise problems.
The above approach is deficient in several regards. First, it only addresses a portion of the windnoise problem. Further, the proposed device is more intended to block air flow, rather than change air flow characteristics. It is not practical to block all air flow in a sunroof at a vertical position.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sunroof window seal that is attached to a window at all of its sides and including a portion extending downward with a non-uniform cross section to prevent windnoise when the window is moved to its vented position.
In a disclosed embodiment, a window for a sunroof has a seal with an upper portion mating with a corresponding surface of the window. The seal also includes a lower portion extending downward from the window. The lower portion has a non-uniform cross section for reducing windnoise when the window is in a vented position. More preferably, the non-uniform cross section has regularly occurring smaller and larger portions. More particularly, the cross section is a sawtooth shape.
The seal extends along the sides of the window, and breaks up wind flow that might otherwise cause a whistling noise.